Ruud van Nistelrooy left Manchester United’s coaching staff on Monday as new manager Ruben Amorim arrived at the club’s training complex to start his Old Trafford reign.
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Dutchman Van Nistelrooy, a former star striker at the club, was put in temporary charge after the sacking of Erik ten Hag late last month.
He oversaw three wins and a draw in his four-match spell, signing off with a 3-0 victory against Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday.
The former PSV Eindhoven boss, appointed as an assistant coach in July on a two-year contract, had voiced a desire to stay at Old Trafford to work with Amorim.
But United issued a statement on Monday confirming the 48-year-old would not be part of the new coaching set-up.
“Manchester United can confirm that Ruud van Nistelrooy has left the club,” the statement said. “Ruud rejoined in the summer and has taken charge of the team for the past four matches as interim head coach.
“Ruud is, and always will be, a Manchester United legend.
“We are grateful for his contribution and the way in which he has approached his role throughout his time with the club. He will always be very welcome at Old Trafford.” United said fellow coaches Rene Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar and Pieter Morel had also left the club.
“We will confirm the full men’s first team coaching composition in due course,” United said.
– ‘Amazing period’ –
Van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals during a stellar playing career for United, said he had relished his time in charge.
“I really enjoyed it, it’s been a short but amazing period,” he said after the Leicester win. “We are in an uncertain position but we tried to do our jobs and help the club, which is important.
“There are a lot of feelings there, the way the fans supported me and the team always in difficult moments…. To close down this block of games with good results and a good connection I can’t thank them enough.” Amorim was named as the new United boss earlier this month.
The 39-year-old jetted to Britain from Portugal on Monday after completing his stint as Sporting Lisbon boss with a 4-2 win against Braga.
He was met at the club’s Carrington training complex by chief executive Omar Berrada, and was also welcomed by sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
The former Portugal international is United’s sixth permanent appointment since the end of Alex Ferguson’s trophy-filled 27-year-reign in 2013.
United are 13th in the Premier League table after a poor start to the season but are only four points off the top four.
Amorim’s first match in charge will be away at struggling Ipswich on November 24, following the current international break.
The new boss, who transformed Sporting’s fortunes during his four-and-a-half-year spell at the club, said he was aware of the scale of the task awaiting him at Old Trafford.
“I feel ready for the new challenge,” he said after his farewell match with Sporting. “I’m not naive, I know that it’s going to be very, very different, very tough but I feel that I’m ready.”
– Change the script –
Manchester United have been crowned English champions a record 20 times but they have failed even to compete for the Premier League or Champions League titles since Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013.
Amorim, a 39-year-old former Portugal international, is United’s sixth permanent appointment since the end of Ferguson’s trophy-filled 27-year-reign.
David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ten Hag have all come and gone, unable to take United back to the top despite lavish spending.
More than £600 million ($772 million) was spent over Ten Hag’s five transfer windows on new signings but few have proved value for money.
Despite United’s flaws, Amorim will have a greater pool of talent than he did at Sporting, but he will have to work hard to get the most out of an under-performing squad.
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He is the first manager appointed since British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe became a minority owner of the club earlier this year, taking control of football operations.
Being Ratcliffe’s man should buy him wriggle room and time, but he will know that at a club of the size of United, patience only stretches so far.
“I feel ready for the new challenge,” an upbeat Amorim said after his farewell match with Sporting. “I’m not naive, I know that it’s going to be very, very different, very tough but I feel that I’m ready.”
Style makeover Two trophies in his only two full seasons were not enough to save Erik ten Hag, whose side never got going in the current campaign.
The Dutchman secured some impressive wins during his tenure against Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester City but he relied on moments of individual brilliance from an expensively assembled squad rather than imposing a clear style of play.
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United frequently appeared chaotic on his watch, combining an alarming fragility with an inability to score goals, and proved infuriatingly inconsistent.
Amorim has earned his ticket to the Premier League after restoring Sporting to the pinnacle of Portuguese football over the past four and a half years.
His preferred 3-4-3 formation could suit the players he will have available at Old Trafford.
But he will have precious little time on the training ground to impose his philosophy as United face a gruelling run of 12 games between November 24 and January 5 following the current international break.
“I know how I’m going to play at the beginning because you have to start with a structure that you know and then you will adapt with the players that you have,” Amorim said.
Restore belief among fans United fans so long used to success have suffered as their team slipped down the pecking order, usurped by Manchester City and Liverpool.
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Old Trafford is no longer the fortress it once was. Liverpool and Tottenham cruised to 3-0 victories in September, while Brighton, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Fulham won there last season.
Amorim has to energise the Old Trafford crowd and infuse them with the belief that this time things really will get better.
Although United are in the bottom half of the Premier League, they are just four points off the top four, a finishing position that would bring back Champions League football.
Midfielder Casemiro says the players are hungry to learn from their incoming boss.
“We cannot ignore how he has changed Sporting (Lisbon),” he said. “We know that Sporting won many titles, changed the club with titles, with trophies.
“He has already proved that he is a coach that has won a lot.”
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